Strain gages are used in a variety of applications. One common application is within a vehicle, and particularly in association with the engine block of the vehicle. Application of strain gages to very small confined spaces (e.g., small confined spaces within the engine block) can be extremely difficult and the resulting placement often has very low accuracy. A typical method of application of a strain gage to an engine block involves a technician applying an adhesive to a strain gage, positioning the gage in a desired position and then applying manual pressure until the adhesive has cured. This is a very manual process. Positioning of the gage is typically done by the technician visually determining where best to place the strain gage and therefore tends to be inconsistent as some level of subjectivity is imparted by the technician during the placement process. Sometimes the technician will use a block of clay or some other improvised tool to assist in applying the strain gage, particularly if being applied in a confined space.
This application method is limited because the technician cannot always fully reach the desired location even when using an improvised tool. Moreover, improvised tools often do not afford accuracy levels necessary for use of the resulting data. For example, in some applications, such as a cylinder block water jacket, the space is too confined for the technician to reach the desired location with his or her fingers or with existing improvised tools. Even in instances where the technician can reach the location, often the placement of the gage is inaccurate due to gage shift or slide when applying pressure.